The Morris County Freeholders, led by Schrier of Mendham
Township, have recently begun planning for the memorial to the
people who died in the attacks and w ho either lived, worked or had
relatives in Morris County.

Tentative plans call for creation of the memorial at the county
library in Hanover Township or on former property of Greystone Park
Psychiatric Hospital.

"The more we have to remember, the stronger the memories
become," Schrier said. "I'd like something here long after our
memories are gone."

The idea for a memorial started after Schrier spoke with former
Freeholder Patricia Maynard, also of Mendham Township, in early
December.

Maynard worked at the World Trade Center as the state
Legislature's liaison to the Port Authority of New York and New
Jersey from 1984 to 1996. Her successor is former Freeholder Susan
Murphy Ostergard who occupied the same 67th floor office as
Maynard.

Maynard was uninjured but was at the World Trade Center when it
was bombed in 1993. She said Ostergard's life was spared as she was
on her way to a county freeholder convention on Sept. 11.

Lost Friends

But Maynard lost four friends in the Sept. 11 attacks and she
said the emotions may be different but are still heavy for those
who may not have been at the towers on Sept. 11.

"Just because one wasn't there, it is as traumatic though in
different ways," Maynard said.

The former freeholder's voice cracked as she described her
feelings, her hopes for a memorial and how the passage of time has
not lessened her grief.

"A memorial would be a constant reminder of our freedom," she
said. "I still can't believe they (her friends) are gone. It's just
not real."

Schrier said he hopes a piece of the World Trade Center can be
salvaged and incorporated by a sculptor in a memorial. He said the
remnant should not be modified .

"I'd like to keep it as we find it essentially," Schrier said,
"something that reflects the tortured souls who died."

Schrier's vision is for a significant memorial, with a focal
point of a piece of steel taller than a man, "something that would
stand taller than we are."

He also said he would not want the names of the victims
inscribed on the memorial, out of concerns that someone with roots
in the county might inadvertently be omitted.

Schrier said the memorial should be built at the library grounds
because 300,000 people go there each year. Freeholder director John
Murphy has suggested possibly erecting the memorial on land that
was formerly part of Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital but was
sold to the county for $1 on Jan. 4.

Maynard said she first suggested the memorial after reading news
reports of a 20 -foot long, two ton piece of the tower that was
included in a memorial at the Stirling Hill Mining Museum in
Ogdensburg in Sussex County.

Richard Hauck, owner of the museum, said the memorial was
erected last month not only out of a sense of patriotism but also
because of the relationship of the mining industry to the steel
towers and the building of America.

"We put something up with the very serious feeling of what it
means to America, " Hauck said.

Hauck said the piece of the girder was "tremendously torqued by
this tragedy" and stands upright in a concrete base. A memorial
plaque will be added and Hauck said he hopes to host a ceremony in
remembrance each Sept. 11.

The museum was able to get the girder through the efforts of a
board member, Steven Phillips, president of R.S. Phillips Steel of
Vernon. The museum had to sign various legal papers guaranteeing
the steel will not be used for profit.

"We can't commercialize it, we can't cut it up and sell it on
E-Bay," Hauck said. "I would hope that many communities try to
preserve a part of the building (towers). It's no different than a
Civil War cannon. Moving now is the right time to do it."

The steel superstructure from the towers has been brought by
barges to warehouse s in Newark and Jersey City. They are being cut
and sold as scrap by Metal Management and Hugo Neu Schnitzer East,
the two demolition companies hired for the massive job.

The so-called, "soft" scrap, including concrete, desks, chairs,
glass and other pieces of the interior of the towers, is being
brought to the Fresh Kills land fill in Staten Island for
examination by authorities and eventual sale as scrap.

Phillips said he had longstanding contacts at Metal Management
but was just lucky to have gotten the steel remnant.

"Lots of people, sculptors, artists, souvenir hunters, asked for
pieces and the company said no," Phillips said. "We put our name in
the hat and got picked. I know that five years from now, there
won't be any big pieces left because it's being scrapped so
fast."

Spokesmen for Metal Management and Hugo Neu, two of the largest
scrap metal dealers in the nation, did not return telephone calls
for comments.

James Rosenberg, the Morris County administrator, said the state
Office of Emergency Management has agreed to provide a piece of the
tower. Schrier said he hopes to visit the warehouse with an artist
who could help select the proper piece of steel.

"I alerted my public works people to be ready to go in a flash
if that's what it takes," Rosenberg said.

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In recent weeks, Long Hill Township and Watchung Borough passed ordinances allowing their police departments to be able to apply for surplus equipment from the Department of Defense. Long Hill recently procured a Humvee to use in times of flooding, which Watchung states as the reason they are getting into the program. However, in cities around the country, police forces have used the program to obtain military gear, such as weapons and armor.
For more background, go to the link below
http://www.newjerseyhills.com/echoes-sentinel/news/watchung-police-department-hopes-to-receive-equipment-from-department-of/article_12ad002a-92b3-5449-a2cc-4b2cf0ce4339.html